Mini Reviews

The Terror by Dan Simmons

It is very long. And there were points where I thought if Simmons gave one more list of names (the men who had died, the men who were still alive, the name of every officer) or described the symptoms of scurvy one more time I was going to scream. But I think he did a good job of keeping the reader interested because you never really knew what was going to happen. The men fighting the cold, hunger, each other, personal demons and the ice was just as suspenseful as their fight against the unknown enemy that stalked them. I'm glad that he explained that enemy and how it all came about but I was a little disappointed that it didn't meld into the rest of the book better. It was more like the story you had been reading stopped and another, rather long, story was stuck in the middle to explain. I think it was a pretty good horror story, with death and mayhem, terror and suspense, but I would have enjoyed it more if certain pieces were left out and the size cut down a little bit.




Unquiet Dreams by Mark Del Franko

The second book in the Connor Grey series. I don’t think you have to read the first to enjoy this one because it does explain all the most important parts but it also refers back to things that happened in the first book and it was nice to have the background. I like the friendship between Murdock and Grey, the way they relate and get along is interesting and sometimes hilarious. As are some of the relationships between Grey and the other characters as well. Characters you do come to like and care about. But I like a sarcastic hero so that helps. It is urban fantasy so you have the fey running around on the streets of Boston that you could recognize today, which makes the book fun. And, as in the first book, Del Franko delivers a huge dramatic earth shaking climax to what started as a simple little mystery. I liked it a lot and plan to read the others in the series.